Maple & Rice
by Angeliclown
Summary: Matthew has always felt left out. Nobody at school notices him. His father has been too busy with his new husband whom Matthew swears is the worst cook in existence! What will happen when a new student changes all that?   Matthew/Canada x Yao/China


Matthew forced the burnt mess down his throat, wishing he had pancakes instead of whatever it was his step-dad had attempted to create. His step-brother let out a smirk as he snuck another bite of his _Big Mac_. There was just no point attempting to separate Alfred from his greasy fast food addiction. Matthew watched his French father and British step-father crossing tongues with feigned interest, after clearing his plate, as he waited for them to stop long enough to grant him some money for lunch. Seeing that his father was starting to go farther, he cleared his throat, hopping to gain their attention. For once he succeeded as the two blondes stared wide-eyed as if they had forgotten who he was.

'It wouldn't be new if they did, _eh_?' the Canadian thought with a sigh.

"_Hein_? Oh, sorry, _Mathieu_; thought you left, _fils_." His father explained as he reached into a back pocket to retrieve his wallet only to be stopped by a hand on his arm.

"You _git_! I will not have any son of mine eating that bloody garbage your people call food!" Alfred's father complained making Matthew wonder if he was oblivious or just in denial about the bespectacled boy. "Besides, I already made the _lad _his lunch." Matthew was disappointed, and slightly afraid, but out of respect accepted the bag he was handed with, who would've guessed, more charred mystery items.

The school day went by the same as always: nobody saw him, nobody heard him. He had already been counted absent three times today and had to spend an entire class period trying to convince the attendance office that had did indeed go to _Britannia Secondary School_. *

Coming out of his thoughts, the blonde sighed, forcing a bite of what looked to be a rock down his throat. He knew Britons were supposed to be horrible cooks, but this deserved a prize.** He was so busy picturing the angered face his new parent would make at winning a prize of sorts that he didn't notice the shadow forming above him as the foreign exchange student from China approached.

"What you eating, _aru_?" his strong Chinese accent shocked the usually invisible boy as a brightly-dressed brunette sat next to him. Not used to being noticed, better yet spoken to, Matthew only shrugged; unaware of exactly what it was he was eating. "Look like something British dad make." _Hit the nail on the head._

The shy Canadian allowed himself a laugh. "Yeah, I just got a new step-dad, _don't 'cha know_?"

"Ouch." The other man laughed. "All those burnt rocks; nothing edible! No wonder you so skinny, _aru_!" Matthew smiled, ignoring the 'rocks' in favour of examining the dragon design on the other's shirt. "My name _Wang Yao_, but you just call me Yao, aru. You're name Matthew. Am I correct, _aru_?" The blonde nodded, surprised that he wasn't as invisible as he originally thought. "Would you like some rice, _aru_? Yao offered, seeing as the Canadian was now trying to break apart the English meal. "I make extra."

Smiling, Matthew nodded his appreciation as he was handed a container of _Hokkien fried rice _and a pair of chopsticks. He had never used chopsticks before but figured it couldn't be that different. "_Méiy__ǒ__u!_" Yao suddenly scolded as his new friend tried to stab at a piece of cured pork causing him to jump in surprise. "You eat all wrong! Me show you how." He delicately picked up a piece from his own lunch and placed it against the Canadian's lip. "You eat now."

Shocked, Matthew took the chewy substance between his teeth, blushing deeply at the action. "You cute! You my boyfriend now, _aru~***_!" The blonde sophomore almost choked as he tried to protest, but the next words killed his complaints before they left his mouth. "I bring boyfriend rice everyday; no more rocks, _aru~_." The slightly larger Canadian blushed deeper no matter how hard he tried to force it back. He had never had a girlfriend before, better yet a boyfriend; this was all so new to him. Yao smiled, placing a faint kiss on his cheek before lifting both boys' backpacks onto his shoulders. "I carry bag for boyfriend, _aru_."

"Hey, Yao?"

"_Aru_?"

"Can I… walk you to class?"

**Translation(s):**

Big Mac: a hamburger sold by McDonald's, an international fast food restaurant chain. It is one of the company's signature products. I figured America would enjoy it.

Eh?: A common stereotype for Canadians to say after almost every sentence.

Hein?: (French) Huh?

Mathieu: (French) Matthew

Fils: (French) Son

Git: (British) Idiot

Lad: (British) Boy

Britannia Secondary School: A High School/ Secondary School in Vancouver, Canada

Aru?: A common stereotype for people from China to say after almost every sentence. Can also be used by itself to mean "huh?"

Hit the nail on the head: You got it; you read my mind; exactly; etc.

Don't 'cha know: Another common stereotype for Canadians to say after almost every sentence. I added both because Matthew represents all of Canada after all.

Wang Yao: Yao Wang. Many Asian write their first name last and last name first.

Hokkien fried rice: A variation of Chinese fried rice from the Fujian region of China. It is fried rice with a thick sauce poured and mixed over it. The sauce can include mushrooms, meat, vegetables, etc.

Méiyǒu!: (Chinese: Traditional) No!

**Notes:**

* I chose this school at random so if you go there I'm not stalking you or anything (Or am I?)

** British food isn't as bad as I make it seem. It is pretty bland compared to most countries though

*** ~ means in a singsong voice. Basically China is happy.

**Country(s):**

Matthew: Canada

Alfred: America

Yao: China

**Author's notes:**

I wrote this awhile back but my laptop has been having….issues….so I haven't been able to type it up. This crazed story was born from my want to write both Canada and China but unaware of who to pair them up with. I hope they aren't too OOC. More fics coming soon. Please remember to favorite and leave comments!


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